Category Manager

ZF Group•Vernon Hills, IL

20d

About The Position

The Category Manager defines and executes regional category strategy and the portfolio roadmap to drive profitable growth, market share, and customer satisfaction. The role owns portfolio performance—including sales, margin, pricing, product mix, and go-to-market effectiveness—and serves as the voice of the customer and market. It leads portfolio expansion, product positioning, pricing strategy, and new product introductions, aligning regional business needs with global strategic objectives. The Category Manager is a key link across Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Product Information, Supply Chain, and other teams. The role uses market and customer insights to identify opportunities, improve category performance, and support long-term business success.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree.
At least 5 years of experience in Category Management, Product Management, Portfolio Management, Marketing, or a related commercial role.
Familiarity with the aftermarket sector.
Experience managing product portfolios, pricing strategies, and go-to-market initiatives.
Strong commercial acumen and demonstrated success driving sales growth, profitability, and market share.
Experience with new product introductions, portfolio expansion, and product lifecycle management.
Strong analytical skills and ability to turn market and customer insights into actionable business strategies.
Ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams in a matrix organization.
Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and business analytics tools.
Must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

Chassis experience.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute category strategies aligned with global and regional objectives, customer needs, and market opportunities.
Conduct market, vehicle population (VIO), and competitive analysis, including product coverage, benchmarking, market share, pricing, and portfolio gap assessments.
Identify and prioritize portfolio development and coverage expansion opportunities based on market potential, customer demand, and strategic objectives.
Monitor category performance, including sales, profitability, market share, and product mix, and translate findings into improvement plans.
Support pricing strategies, business case development, and commercial recommendations.
Lead and support new product introductions, portfolio optimization, product lifecycle management, and range extension initiatives.
Collaborate with Sales, Engineering, Purchasing, Supply Chain, Marketing, and other cross-functional teams to execute category and portfolio strategies.
Partner with Sales and Planning teams on demand forecasting, portfolio planning, existing portfolio initiatives, and new business opportunities.
Translate customer, market, and performance insights into strategic recommendations and measurable business results.